Happy Families?
by rikkurox
Summary: Chandler tries to dump Janice, but she has other ideas. Eventually Mondler, no particular season but earlyish on. Hope like it and please read and review!
1. Misunderstandings

**A/N – I hope you like this, it's my first friends fic so tell me if it' no good! Please R&R, I don't own any of it! Thanks for reading!**

"Ok bye bye!" Chandler shut the door behind Janice as he turned to the other, a look of horror on his face, "she is so annoying!" he said,

"Uh yeah!" Joey exclaimed,

"Chandler, why do you keep going out with her then?" Monica asked.

"I don't know, I'm gonna break it off, for good this time!" He answered sounding more confident than he felt.

"Good for you man!" Ross told him.

"Now should I ring her or send an e-mail?"

"CHANDLER!" Everyone shouted,

"Ok fine, I'll tell her tomorrow at the coffee house, I hate breaking up with people!"

At the coffee house Janice is sitting on the sofa whilst Chandler gets the drinks.

"Janice." He says,

"Chandler."

"We need to talk."

"I think so too, I have something to tell you!" Janice said excitedly! Chandler sighed, what could she possibly want to say now, he decided to be forceful, he didn't want to know, 'I'll dump her now' he thought.

"Janice listen, our time together has been very special," 'Yes' he thought, 'that self help book Ross brought me had some great phrases for break ups', but now I think it's time to move onwards and …" he stopped as Janice was beginning to cry, "Janice, I…"

"Oh My God!" She said through the tears,

"Janice..." Chandler said,

"Yes" she sobbed,

"What?"

"Yes Chandler, I'll marry you." Janice burst into another flood of tears and hugged a shocked Chandler.

"What?" he cried as she let go of him, "but I… I…" he stuttered, "I haven't got a ring," was the best he could come up with.

"You thought I could pick my own out?!" Janice screeched! "That is the sweetest thing ever!" Chandler's panic stricken face was invisible to Janice, she was ecstatic.

Just then the rest of the gang walked through the door, sensing that something had gone wrong with the break up by the huge smile across Janice's face they hurried over to the sofa. Janice jumped up as she saw them come in,

"Were engaged!" she screamed causing the guys to look at Chandler questioningly, Rachel and Phoebe's hands to fly up to their mouths in shock and Monica to stop dead in her tracks and mutter so low that no one could here her, "what?"

Ross recovered from first, "um Chandler, can you just come over here and talk to me and Joey for a second?" he said glancing between his best friend and Janice. Chandler got up silently and went over to them whilst the girls, still shocked, went over to Janice trying to smile.

"What the hell are you doing?" Joey stammered, "It's, it's Janice!"

"I know who it is Jo." Chandler snapped,

"Wait a minute," Ross said, "I thought you'd dumped her, why did you ask her to marry you?"

"I didn't." An exasperated Chandler whispered, "come over here," he led them further away from the sofa out of earshot. "I tried to dump her and she thought I was proposing!"

"How does someone mistake that, what did you say?"

"Oh I don't know something about our time together and moving on, something out of that dumb book you gave." Chandler said accusingly to Ross,

"Oh yeah so this is my fault?" He said,

"Guys!" Joey said, "what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know!" Chandler said in a low whisper.

"Well you'd better think of something!" Ross told him

Meanwhile the girls were sitting by Janice asking her questions, trying to sound casual but desperately wanting to know what had happened. Monica was however not saying much just looking out in to space shocked.

"So what exactly happened?" Rach asked, still confused about how a break up had become a proposal.

"Well, we were sitting down and I told him I had something to tell him, then he said that we should talk and …" Janice continued to tell the whole story,

"Oh!" smiled Rachel realising what had happened. Phoebe had realised too, she smiled then looked puzzled and turned to Janice, "what did you want to tell him?" she asked,

"Well," Janice smiled looking up at Chandler having whispered conversations with Ross and Joey, "don't tell Chandler yet, but I'm pregnant!"

All three of the girls' mouths dropped open in shock and they looked over towards Chandler, after a moment both Rach and Phoebe uttered congratulations but Monica just stared first at Janice then at Chandler, she was woken by Janice screeching,

"Chandler, lets go shopping for rings!"


	2. A Shock or Two

**A/N – Hope you like this chapter and please R 'n' R! I don't own the characters.**

With that Janice dragged Chandler from the coffee house to go shopping for rings. The girls were still in a state of shock but Ross and Joey were beginning to see the funny side of the situation.

"How can they find this so funny?" Rach asked forgetting that the guys only knew half of the situation,

"Common Rach' lighten up you've gotta admit that it's pretty funny!"

"Janice is pregnant!" Rach snapped though taking care to whisper.

"What?!" Joey screeched! "Baby Janice's!"

"Rach!" Mon said speaking for the first time since the news of the 'engagement'.

"Hey, she didn't say anything about not telling Ross and Joey."

"That's true Mon." Phoebe put in. Monica sighed,

"Uh guys can we focus on the issue at hand please; she's pregnant?" Ross said.

"Yeah, she just told us, she was about to tell him and he 'proposed' to her!" Phoebe told the guys. Everyone was silent for a moment and they sat down on the sofa.

"So are we going to tell him?" Phoebe asked,

"We can't Phoebs," Ross said, "it's not our secret to tell,"

"Oh come on Ross you sound like a priest!" Rach scoffed as everyone turned to look at her, "hey, he deserves to know!"

"But she should be the one to tell him!" Ross said loudly standing up,

"Ross how can you be so …." Rachel started standing up too.

"GUYS!" Phoebe interrupted standing between them, "no one tells him anything for now, I agree with Ross, it's not fair!"

"Fine." Rach said sitting back down. All was quite for a few minutes until Monica stood up,

"I've gotta go," she said her voice thick.

"Hey Mon!" Rach shouted after her wondering where her friend could be going.

Later on, after much discussion about the day's events the gang decided to go upstairs, Chandler and Janice still weren't back and they knew from experience that a shopping trip with Janice could take a very long time. Rach said bye to Joey (who had a date) and opened the door to her apartment. She saw Monica standing on a chair with a duster reaching for the top of the cupboards.

"Mon, what are you doing?" Rachel asked,

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm cleaning."

"But Mon why are you cleaning?" Rach asked sensing that there was something wrong with her friend.

"Err, because the cupboards are dirty Rach." Mon snapped, "Someone's gotta clean them!"

"Fine," Rach said slightly annoyed, she turned back to Monica but stopped when she saw tears in her friend's eyes.

"Mon, what's the matter?"

"I don't know, I guess it's just with Chandler getting married and the baby and all."

"Rach went over to go and hugged her,

"Oh God Rach, it's just so messed up!" Mon said,

"What's so messed up?" Rach asked,

"My life is messed up Rach, my job is terrible, I have no sex life, the one guy I want I can't have …"

"Wait, what did you just say?" Rach asked,

"I said, my job's bad and my sex life's crap," Mon said trying to cover up.

"No, no, you said something about a guy!" Rach said, "Who is it?"

"Rach you just can't stop gossiping." Monica said, she had stopped crying and was now desperately trying to change the subject while walking towards her bedroom.

"You can not get away that easy." Rach called following her into the bedroom, "Who is it?"

"Fine," Monica turned to face her, "It's… Chandler, ok?"

"What?" Rach sank down onto the bed, "Chandler? But he's…"

"Getting married and having a baby, yeah Rach I think I know!" Mon snapped at her friend, silent tear began to slide down her face, "Sorry Rach." she sighed, Rach but her arm around her friend, "its gonna be ok!" she said.

Meanwhile Chandler had been dragged around every jewellery store in New York.

"Janice…" he started,

"Oh My God!" Janice said, she was staring at a ring in another jewellery store window, "Chandler that is the ring,"

"Janice…" he tried again,

"Well come on Chandler, what are we waiting for? Let's get the ring!"

"Janice, I" Chandler started strong but couldn't think of anything to say, he froze and she pulled him in to the shop, before he knew it he was paying $2,000 dollars for an engagement ring. Janice smiled as they left the shop,

"Chandler," she said, he turned to look at her,

"Shall we go back to your place?" she smiled, "or should I say our place," Chandler looked horrified but Janice just took him by hand and walked back to the apartment.

As soon as they got inside and ensured that Joey wasn't about she began to kiss him Chandler had given up the break up for the time being and found himself becoming aroused by her kiss. He responded by kissing her back and leading her into the bedroom.

In a while they were lying in bed, Chandler annoyed at himself for allowing it to happen and for not breaking up with her earlier. Janice smiled and turned to her fiancée, "do you want to know what I was going to tell you this afternoon?" she giggled,

"No," he whispered, the giggling was driving him up the wall, "sure Janice," he said out loud.

"I'm pregnant!" she exclaimed beaming at Chandler.

"Um, uh, I... What? P… pregnant, uhuhumuh!"

"We're gonna be one big happy family!"


	3. Walks and Kisses

**A/N I know the second chapter wasn't as good and I'm sorry that this one has taken so long but I couldn't decide how to make it better. Hope you like and please read and review!**

After Janice had fallen asleep Chandler lay silent next to her thinking about the news. He kept going over the day's events in his mind and tried to decide what to do. Eventually he got up and went into the kitchen to get a glass of milk.

Meanwhile Monica, too, was lying awake. She was thinking about Chandler, Janice and the baby. She could hear Rachel's steady breathing in the next room and for some reason tonight it kept her awake. She got up and went into the kitchen thinking that she would sort out a cupboard to clear her head.

Eventually both decided to go out for a walk, not sensible in the middle of the night in New York City but then neither of them was thinking sensibly that night. They left a few minutes apart and walked around thinking about their own feelings and worries. They came back and met outside Central Perk at around 1.30.

"Chandler?"

"Mon."

"What are you doing here?" she asked,

"I could ask you the same question!" he replied trying, as usual, to lighten the mood.

"Do you wanna come up and have some coffee?"

They went into Monica's apartment and were soon sat in the kitchen with two mugs of hot coffee.

"So what were you doing outside at this time of night?" Mon asked,

"Couldn't sleep." He sighed, "Janice is pregnant." Mon looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and nodded silently putting her hand on his arm, "congratulations," she muttered.

"I can't do this," he looked up abruptly, "I can't become a husband and a father. I'm Chandler, I can't commit to a long term relationship! I'd be terrible as a dad, my kid would probably grow up hating me and end up in therapy." he said getting more agitated by the minute. "I've gotta get out of here." He stood up and went to leave.

"Wait Chandler, What are you gonna do?"

"Buy a plane ticket and get out of here." He answered walking off,

"Wait!" she called hurrying after him,

"I have to go, I can' have a baby or a wife, they're better off without me."

"Chandler!" Monica grabbed him by the arm pulling him towards her. "You have to stay."

"Mon… I…" he stuttered then stopped and looked at her. They stood for a moment in silence just staring into each other's eyes then at the exact same moment leaned towards each other and kissed softly in the hallway.

For a few moments there was nobody else in the world. They stood, kissing, only thinking about each other and blocking out the rest of the world.

"Chandler Stop." Monica said pulling away.

"I'm sorry." He sighed,

"No, it was my fault." Mon told him, "but you have to go back to Janice, she's having your baby, I couldn't come between you."

"Mon I …"

"Don't!" She answered, "I can't do this knowing that in that apartment is a woman who is carrying your child and plans to marry you, I'm sorry Chandler I just can't!"

He nodded and she kissed him lightly on the cheek and turned back into her apartment tears streaming down her face. He stood for a minute in the hall then opened the door and went into his own apartment. Both sat in their kitchens with coffee until everyone else got up thinking about the past and the future.


	4. Breakfast

**A/N – Hey hope you like this chapter, sorry it took so log to update but I have been sooooo busy! Thanks for reading and please review. Unfortunately none of the characters are mine!**

Chandler went back to his apartment but didn't sleep; instead he sat in the kitchen trying to make sense of it all. In a few hours Janice came through from the bedroom.

"Morning, husband to be!" she screeched.

"Hey Janice." Chandler sighed, he was tired and confused. Janice went in to the kitchen and made some toast. She sat down next to him.

"I was thinking that we do it a month from next Saturday."

"Wha… do what?" Chandler turned to her.

"Get married silly, oh there's so much to do!" Chandler sat in shock, a month? "Oh My God! Chandler you cannot want me to get married when I'm, uh, uh, huge! Its gonna be the most the special day and I'll be …"

"I don't!" Chandler said quickly seeing that he was about to endure Janice's crying. She recovered quickly and was soon giggling again; Chandler didn't know which was worse.

"Oh My God!" she screamed waking Joey who ran into the room.

"What?" Chandler asked having jumped halfway across the kitchen.

"I have got to get a dress! I'm going shopping with Monica and Rachel!" She ran out of the room. Joey looked at Chandler,

"Do the girls know they're going shopping with Janice today?"

Chandler shook his head and Joey winced.

"Hey what's up man? You look like you haven't slept in weeks," then he grinned and nodded, "Oh!"

"Joey!" Chandler said, Joey looked disbelieving, "Ok well there was a bit of that," Joey smiled and nodded, "but mostly I was just walking around, and talking to Monica."

"But still you had sex right?"

"Janice is pregnant."

"Oh she told you huh."

"You knew."

"Erm… no"

"Joey!"

"Ok, we all knew."

"What the hell am I gonna do Jo?"

"Well you've gotta marry her, I mean she's having a baby. If it were my sister …"

"You'd punch the guy, yeah I know," Chandler sighed thinking about what Ross would do if he had seen him and Monica last night. "I'm a horrible person." He added

"Hey, come on you were just… unlucky."

"Not that Jo, I kissed Monica last night."

"What?"

"I couldn't sleep so I went out for a walk, I saw her, she invited me up for coffee and we kissed."

"Coffee? Ohhhhh!" Joey grinned, "Was it good?"

"Jo!" Chandler shouted, "Coffee was just coffee, we kissed in the hall but she said that she couldn't be with me 'cus of Janice. But yes it was."

"What?"

"It was good, Oh God, I think I'm in love with her!"

"You, Monica? But... Janice!"

"Yeah I know, she drives me up the wall and I'm in love with my best friend, but Janice is pregnant!"

"Hey, I thought I was your best friend."


	5. Shopping and Spying

**A/N – Sorry I know this has taken me soooooo long to update, I'm pleading huge amounts of work and writers block I'm afraid. Hope you like this chapter and none of the characters are mine! ****Please R 'n' R!**

After reassuring Joey that he was definitely his best friend Chandler went to work while the girls were dragged on a shopping trip with Janice. They had gone around just about every bridal shop New York and Monica felt like each one was a slap in the face. Janice continued to talk to them about the wedding and the baby and Rachel could see Monica getting madder and madder at her.

"Mon you gotta calm down." Rachel whispered to her when Janice was in the changing room trying on her 57th dress of the day.

"I can't Rach," I see her in all those dresses and buying little baby bonnets, "It should be me!"

"I know this is hard for you, but you can't take it out on her she's done nothing wrong."

"Oh, Whatever."

"Hey! Don't take this out on me either."

"You know Rach I'm really getting sick of you telling me what I can and can't do." Monica cried rushing out of the shop. She decided to get some coffee but knew she couldn't face Central Perk. She stopped in a little place a few blocks from her apartment and sat for a while just thinking. She wished that she hadn't shouted at Rachel or been so mean to Janice, it wasn't their fault, it was hers. She was the one who had kissed Chandler and she had no right to feel anything for him. She sighed and drank her coffee, it was nothing on Central Perk's coffee and it felt weird sitting in this unfamiliar place. She paid quickly and went out of the shop.

As she walked home here head was full of regret about Rachel, Janice and most of all Chandler. She resolved to sort the mess she had made of life her life out the moment she got in. She couldn't help but glance at the couples who stood on the sidewalks kissing or flirting, it was a sunny afternoon and the streets were busy with people. As she glanced at one couple kissing on a bench she stopped. Surely that wasn't who she thought it was. Dark curly hair, bright jumper? It couldn't be. Monica slipped round the corner and looked at the two, just then she heard,

"Oh My God!"

Monica would know that voice anywhere, she focused on the man that Janice was with and recognised him to be her ex. Husband. Unsure about whether she should confront Janice, Monica stood watching them for a few moments trying to here the conversation they were having,

"I'm getting married now, we can't keep doing this." Janice said,

"Why do you need marriage anyway? We have a great time and the sex, its great!"

"I don't just want sex," Janice said sitting down on a bench, "I need stability especially with the baby on the way." Monica by now was hanging on to every word Janice said.

"Oh come on, so you got pregnant. A half hour down the clinic will fix that!"

"How can you say that?" Janice yelled, "Besides it's your baby too!"

Monica gasped; she couldn't believe what she had just heard; now the question was what should she do about it?


	6. Storms on the Horizon

**A/N – Hope you like this chapter, I had a complaint or two that the last one was too short so this one's longer.** **Thanks to everyone who review and added it to story alert, hope this chapter is as good. Unfortunately I don't own the friends characters, I just borrow them a bit. Please review!**

Monica stood, frozen to spot until Janice and her 'ex' had left. She knew that she had to tell someone but whom? She had argued with Rachel, who would probably just think that she was trying to split Chandler and Janice up, Ross would be at the university all day and she knew that she couldn't face telling Chandler. That only left Phoebe or Joey and, as she headed home, she decided to tell them both.

She got back and went straight into Joey's apartment; Joey, Phoebe and Chandler were in there. She sat down and tried to make conversation but it was difficult with Chandler there. The tension was strong and the simplest conversation was a stretch for her, obviously Joey knew too for his eye's darting between her and Chandler. Monica wanted to leave but knew she had to stay and tell Phoebe and Joey about what she had seen. Eventually Chandler left saying that he had to get some stuff done for work; Monica guessed that it was because of her presence but was too relieved that he was gone to worry about it too much. As soon as he stepped out of the door Monica jumped up.

"I saw Janice kissing her ex husband!"

"No Mon the line is 'I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus'!" Phoebe said,

"No Phoeb's I really did see Janice kissing her ex!"

"Oh my God!" Joey said

"Yeah, and she said that he's the father!"

"So Chandler's marrying her and it isn't even his baby?" Phoebe said, "Why isn't she marrying her ex?"

"Well he was such a pig," Monica said, "he said that she should 'go down the clinic' and get it 'taken care of'"

"Wow, no wonder she wants to marry Chandler."

"Yeah" Mon sighed,

"Guys!" Joey cried, "Can you stop feeling sorry for her, she's lying to Chandler and we have to tell him that!"

"Joey's right Phoebe, we need to tell him."

"Ok so how are we going to…" Joey stopped as Rachel came into the room.

"What's going on?" Rachel demanded looking round at her friends but stopping when she spotted Monica.

"Hey Rach." Mon said quietly, Rachel ignored her. The others all looked round at each other silently debating whether or not to tell Rachel what Monica had seen. Phoebe nodded to Joey, who said,

"Monica saw Janice kissing her ex husband and heard her say that it was his baby."

"What?" Rach said glancing at Monica, "Hold on, you're trying to split them up so you can date Chandler! You stormed out of the shop today then went and made up this stupid story to try and break them up, well I'm sorry Monica but it's not going to work, they are getting married."

"Rach wait…" Mon said as Rachel walked out of the apartment.

"Wait you want to date Chandler?" Phoebe asked.

"I… well I… I do, but I didn't make this up, I really did see them." Phoebe glanced questioningly at Joey, who stood silently for a moment ten gasped,

"But you kissed Chandler last night!" he said accusingly

"Yeah, but I…"

Wait you kissed?" Phoebe yelled.

"Shush!" Monica scolded her, "yes ok we kissed but nothing else happened, besides, I was the one who stopped it because of Janice, do you really think I would have done that if I wanted to split them up? You know what believe what you want!" She turned to leave but Phoebe pulled her back,

"We believe you Mon," she said, "and Rachel was just upset, she didn't mean that." Joey nodded in agreement,

"Yeah she did," Monica sighed, "but thanks guys, how are we going to tell him?"

"I can't Mon, he's my best friend, I can't just say – "your fiancé is cheating on you with her ex and her baby isn't yours."

"He's your best friend Joey that's exactly why you should do it. I'm not close enough to him." Phoebe argued

"Well I can't exactly do it can I? 'You girlfriend is cheating on you, the baby is her ex's and by the way I'm in love with you!"

"What?" Joey and Phoebe said together,

"I said I can't tell him,"

"No, no you said you're in love with him," Monica looked away as Phoebe spoke,

"Oh this is so sweet, my best friends!" Joey grinned,

"No Joey this is anything but sweet, it's a mess. The guy I'm in love with is in engaged but I know he's cheating on her and I've have got to tell him that" Monica raged.

"Mon calm down," Phoebe said, "We'll all tell him together ok."

"Ok." Monica nodded as Phoebe put her arm around her, "but what am I gonna do about Rachel?"

"Rach'll come around" Phoebe told her as Monica went out to try and find her friend.

"Rach?" she said as she walked into Central Perk and saw Rachel sitting on the Couch.

"What do you want? You know Monica I really didn't think you'd sink this low!"

"I saw her Rach; I'm not making this up!"

"Like I'm gonna believe that! I saw you earlier going crazy at Janice; you would do anything to split them up!"

"I don't want to split them up, I really did see her. If I did want to split them up wouldn't I have carried on kissing him last night?"

"You kissed him last night?"

"Rach it's not how it sounds I promise."

"Really because how it sounds is that you kissed him and now are making up stupid stories to get rid of Janice so you can have him all to yourself."

"You know what Rach you believe that then cus if you think that I'd do something like that then you're obviously not my best friend." She started to leave then turned back, "you know I've stuck by you all these years and all you think about it yourself!" Rachel started to shout back but Monica had already gone. She sank down on to the sofa with her head in her hands, 'Mon's right.' She sighed to herself.

Monica had gone up to the apartment and was sitting on the couch tears silently running down her face. She looked up as Rach came in,

"Monica I'm sorry." She said coming over to her, "I should have trusted you."

"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have shouted at you earlier." They girls hugged, both crying until Joey came in the room."

"Hey you guys made up!" Joey said grinning. Phoebe followed him in and on seeing Mon and Rach said,

"Yay, you guys made up!" She echoed, Monica and Rachel nodded as they all came together in a hug. They had just broken apart when Chandler came into the apartment.

"Hey guys, what's up?" he asked suspiciously. They all glanced at one another not wanting to be the one to speak first, after what seemed like an age Joey said,

"Hey man, we need to talk to you."


	7. A Terrible Evening

A/N – I know, more apologies about this taking me ages

**A/N – I know, more apologies about this taking me ages. I have finished my exams now though so it should go a bit faster. Thanks again to the people who've reviewed; I really value your comments. I don't own friends.**

"What about?" Chandler asks suspiciously.

"You'd better sit down." Phoebe said. They all sat at the table and for a while no one spoke, all wondering how to tell him. They knew that he didn't love her but they also knew that the news that she had been lying would crush him.

"Guys is this gonna take long, I've gotta go with Janice to her parent's house to discuss the wedding." The gang glanced at one another and Joey said,

"Actually, it's Janice that we need to talk to you about."

"What about Janice?" he asked.

"Monica saw her kissing her ex husband this morning, and she said that it was his baby." Phoebe said.

Chandler was silent for a moment; he looked at Monica, who had tears in her eyes,

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

She nodded silently, the others got up and left the room without a word leaving the two of them sitting together, neither of them wanting to break the silence.

"I'm sorry," Mon said quietly, the silence, though protecting her, had become unbearable.

"It's not your fault." He said standing up and going to look out the window, "I shouldn't have been so stupid."

"You're not stupid, we all believed her too, we had no reason not to."

"I just…" he started then just sighed, "I can't believe she would be this devious, I mean, I believe it, of course," he added hastily, "I just, I don't why she would do it."

"Her husband, well, he wanted her to go down the clinic and get it taken care of." Monica said, "She was just scared for her baby."

"Then why was kissing him?" he demanded.

Monica shrugged, "I don't know." She whispered.

"Sorry, I just don't know what I'm going to do. I can't marry a woman I don't love just to bring up a child that it's my own, but I can't let him make he have an abortion either, I do care about her. What am I gonna do?"

She could see the hurt and pain in his eyes, but she could offer him no advice. It wasn't her place to tell him what to do and she was already too involved. They looked at each other, tears running down her face and their eyes just rested there for a moment, staring at each other.

"Thanks." Chandler said

"What for?" she asked.

"For telling me and for standing by me and, well, for everything." He said, his voice reverting back to a whisper. Everything as silent for a few seconds and then…

"Chandler!" A shrill voice came from behind the door and Janice rushed through it. At the sound of her voice Chandler tore his eyes away from Monica and looked up at the door. Monica whipped the tears from her face and tried to look happy.

"Are you coming yet?" She called, "honestly, I can see were going to have to get you a watch when we get married, can't have you this late for everything." She giggled and had hardly even noticed the look on both their faces.

"Erm, sure Janice." He said, "I'll just get my coat." He rushed through to next door and grabbed his coat from the chair sitting down on it for a minute, a million thoughts running through his mind."

Meanwhile Janice and Monica were alone in the girl's apartment.

"Can you believe it?" Janice giggled, "Chandler and me getting married."

"Yeah, it's great." Monica sighed.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, Will you be my bridesmaid?"

"Erm, I, well," Monica stuttered not knowing what to say, "I'd love to." At that moment Chandler came back into the room.

"Great let go!" Janice called, "and Monica, I can't wait to pick out the dresses!"

They arrived at Janice's parent's house for dinner. It was a large, detached country house and looked fairly homey. Janice opened the door and called,

"We're Here!" At the top of her voice.

Suddenly her parents' came rushing through to greet them. Her mother, who ran up and hugged Janice, was a large woman, with Janice's nose and shrill voice,

"Hello Daring!" she called, "and this is your fiancé!" Chandler's heart jumped when he heard the world fiancé and he suddenly felt very cold. Janice's father was more reserved than his wife; however it was clear where Janice got her hair from. He had black, unruly curls but still managed to look sternly at Chandler and make him feel even more uncomfortable. They invited Janice and Chandler through into the living room and they sat one the couch.

"Janice dear, will you held me with the drinks, they're still in the kitchen."

"Sure mom," Janice said, "I'll be back in a minute." She giggled to Chandler in a sing-song voice.

"So Chandler," Janice's father said when the women had left the room, "you're the one that's got my daughter pregnant?"

"I, well, erm." Chandler stammered, not knowing how to answer that, especially given the conversation he had had earlier with his friends.

"You'd better have a plan, boy."

"Well sir, I have a good job and I can provide for her and the baby, and we are getting married." Chandler said, unclear about what he should say.

"This would never have happened if she had stayed with her husband." Janice's father seemed to be talking to himself now. "Now he was a good match for her, successful business, lovely home and good family. I hear you live in a flat in New York?" He asked, directing his attention back to Chandler.

Chandler almost wanted to shout at the man, tell him what his daughter's 'perfect' ex husband had done to her, but instead he just answered, "Yes," seeing Janice come back into the room.

"You two getting along?" she asked.

"Yes." Chandler forced himself to say.

"Oh goodie, I just knew you would, you have so much in common!" Chandler's face fell at that but he didn't say anything more. He knew that he had to get through this evening, and then he could figure out what to do.

However it seemed to be getting increasingly hard to keep quite, all through dinner Janice's father kept making digs at him and talking about Janice's ex. Janice and her mother chatted mostly about the wedding but after dinner the subject came onto the baby.

"So have you thought of any names yet?" her mother asked.

"Not yet," Janice said.

"How about Harold?" Her father asked, at least then the kid will have one decent name, "not that there's anything wrong with Bing of course." He added.

"We'll think about it sir." Chandler said with gritted teeth. "I'm gonna use the bathroom."

"Up the stairs and to the right." Janice's mother called after him.

When he came downstairs Chandler could hear voices in the living room, he stood outside the door listening for a moment.

"You'd have been so much better off staying with him!" Janice's father was saying.

"Daddy!"

"Well you would have, he could have provided for you and the baby and he'd do it a lot better than this Chester bloke."

"Yes well maybe he would have and maybe I still love him." Janice said. "But Chandler's the best thing I've got for the time being."

"So you'll get rid of him when someone better comes along?" Her father asked.

"Yes," Janice said, "but I can't have a baby without being married."

"True, true." Her father said. "Fine, marry him."

"Here are the drinks!" Janice's mother called, "isn't Chandler back yet?"

Chandler hurried back through the door. He got through the evening as best he could; they left early as Janice was tired. In the cab on the way home Chandler said almost nothing. He was replaying what he had heard over and over again. He was just a stand in, so that she wouldn't look bad having a baby without being married, and it wasn't even his baby, he was getting madder and madder at Janice the more he thought about the day's events.

"We need to talk." He said when they got up to the apartment. She turned to him in surprise. "I know." He said simply.

"Know what?" she asked.

"I know that the baby is your ex's and that I'm just a stand in until someone better comes along. Well I don't want to be that guy!"

"What are you talking about?" she asked him.

"Quit pretending," he said annoyed, "I heard you talking to your dad about me and Monica saw you kissing that, mattress king guy earlier."

"Monica?" Janice shrieked. "She just wants to get rid of me, so she can have you all to her self, she's a home wrecker Chandler and you should know that and not come at me with these stupid tales!"

"Don't call her names!" Chandler said dangerously. "The game's over Janice, go back to your parents, or to him to be honest I don't care. I just want you out of here!"

"He'll make me get rid of it!" Janice cried. "He doesn't want a baby, you can't let him do that."

"Listen," Chandler said softening up a bit. "I don't want you to have to get rid of the baby, but I can't be around you any more. You don't have to go back to him."

Janice nodded she picked up her things, "I'll go back to my parent's she said "I'm sorry."

The door shut being her and Chandler sank down into the chair. He felt a strange mix of guilt, resentment and relief. He heard Joey talking to Monica outside the door and went into his room; he couldn't face anyone tonight, especially Monica. He knew he was in love with her but was unsure about how she felt and he couldn't take any more drama tonight.


End file.
